Page 42 of Dark Sold Mate

“But I have not mentioned the van,” Elle replied, her eyes wild and unfocused. “The van that brought me here was white, and I got a glimpse of the license plate. Maybe three letters. I think it was R-E-something.”

Rael moved to the other side, holding a bottle of water. “Drink this.”

Elle held the bottle with shaking hands and took a sip.

“She's giving us good intelligence,” Javi walked over to them. “But she is becoming unstable.”

“I can see that,” Silas snapped. “We're leaving.”

He got into the driver's seat and switched the engine on. Elle kept on giving information as they drove. Information about the way the handlers looked, their heights, the number of women in each cage, and the way the warehouse smelled. Every minute detail that her mind had memorized during the time she was terrified, caged, and prepared to be sold.

His eyes flickered to the rearview mirror. Rael, Javi, and August drove behind them. They were most likely discussing the information Elle gave them.

Good intel, Javi had said. And it was. Elle was providing them with better information than they had accumulated in months of research.

But it was ruining her.

“There was also some sort of chemical odor,” she continued. “Like bleach and cleaning supplies, which they probably used to clean up blood.”

Silas clenched his hands on the steering wheel. The thought of Elle there, with what they had done to other women, made him feel like turning the truck around and setting the warehouse on fire.

“The windows were covered with boards. But I could see sunlight through the cracks. Which means the warehouse faces east or south, because the light was strongest in the morning.”

“Elle, you can stop now.”

“No. I must tell you.” Her voice cracked. “I need to help.”

They eventually got back to pack territory, and Elle continued to speak, but it was getting more jumbled.

Silas immediately turned off the engine, got out of the truck, and circled round the front to open the door for Elle, but she did nothing. She sat motionless with her mouth still moving.

“The floor was concrete and stained. The cages were nailed to the floor with industrial bolts.”

“Elle.” Silas reached for her hand. “We're home. Let's get you inside.”

Finally, she looked up at him and stared. Silas saw the exact moment the adrenaline ran out. Elle's face crumpled, all the strength and determination that had been holding her together evaporating in an instant.

“I can’t do this any longer,” she shook her head.

“You don't have to. You did enough. I got so much information from you.”

“It's not enough. It's never enough.” A tear rolled down her cheek. “Those women are still out there. Still being sold. Still being hurt. I informed you of a warehouse and some handlers, but that doesn’t do them any good. That doesn't save them.”

Silas lifted Elle out of the truck. This time, she didn't fight him. She threw herself against his chest, and her entire body shook with the tears that she had clearly been holding back.

He took her to the house and up to her room with the knowledge that his brothers and August would arrive soon. But he did not care. Elle needed him right now. Nothing else mattered.

When he got to her bedroom, Silas gently kicked the door open and sat on the edge of her bed, with Elle still in his arms, her face pressed to his shoulder. She was crying so much that he could feel her tears soaking through his shirt.

“I should have done it sooner,” she sobbed. “The first time Javi asked me I should have said yes. I should have pushed my anger and my trauma aside and helped. Maybe things could have been different.”

“No, no, no,” Silas pulled her tighter. “This is not your fault.”

“But if I'd helped right away—”

“You were a victim, too, Elle. You were taken away and put in a cage. You were also trying to live through your trauma. You do not owe anything to anybody. Certainly not to the pack where you were treated so badly.”

“But those women—”